Call issued to boycott Japanese goods

Irish consumers should boycott Japanese goods in protest at its whale hunting expeditions, Ireland's National Sea Life Centre said today.

It is also calling for people to petition the Japanese Embassy in Dublin to register their anger at the action.

Despite a ban on commercial whaling, Japan launched its four month Antarctica hunting expedition on Sunday claiming the mission was for scientific research.

It argues the numbers to be slaughtered are too small to make an impact on the whale population.

But Pat O'Suilleabhain, manager of the National Sea Life Centre in Bray, said: "Japan uses a loophole in the charter of the International Whaling Commission to carry on whaling for so-called 'scientific' purposes.

"The Japanese government ignores all diplomatic lobbying to stop this butchery, even though polls suggest that even the majority of Japanese people are against it.

"If we register our outrage in a way that threatens their economy, we believe the voice of the international community will have more impact.

"When you consider the number of Japanese electrical products, mobile phones, computer games and other such items that help fill Christmas stockings, this protest could really make an impact," he said.

Commercial whaling was outlawed 20 years ago, but some whales are allowed to be killed for "scientific research".

Japan said its fleet intends to kill 50 endangered fin whales, 50 threatened humpback whales and 935 minke whales.

The European Commission said it was deeply concerned about the plans saying scientific data could be retrieved via non-lethal techniques.

But despite the diplomatic pressure the Japanese government is going ahead with the plan saying the numbers to be killed are so small that it would not make an impact on the overall whale population.

Mr O'Suilleabhain also rounded on the Irish government over what he called its silence in the face of mass slaughter.

The National Sea Life Centre is located on Bray Seafront and is one of Ireland's largest marine and freshwater zoos.

The centre has removed all Japanese goods from its gift shop in protest at the action.

"As an island nation, it is disgraceful that the abhorrence which the Irish population has shown to this slaughter has not been given voice by our leaders on the international stage or at diplomatic level," he said.

As well as boycotting Japanese products, the National Sea Life Centre is urging people to take direct action by writing to the Japanese Ambassador at the Japanese Embassy to voice their protest at the whale hunt.